Cleveland Cavaliers vs Indiana Pacers Prediction, Preview and Odds - 05/09/2025

Game Time: 7:30 pm ET, Friday, May 9, 2025

Venue:  Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Cavaliers -1.5, Pacers +1.5; Over/Under:  229.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Cavaliers -2, Pacers +2; Over/Under:  229.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Cavaliers -1.5, Pacers +1.5; Over/Under:  229.5 points

Cleveland Cavaliers:  64-18 (1st place, Central Division)

Indiana Pacers:  50-32 (2nd place, Central Division)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Big Al McMordie is on a HOT STREAK in the NBA on a 27-18-1 NBA RUN for +$7,030 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Cleveland Cavaliers:  6-4 last 10

Indiana Pacers:  8-2 last 10

The Cavaliers are entering the playoffs with a 64-18 record overall this season and they were 30-11 in their road games where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 2 game losing streak with losses coming against the Indiana Pacers twice in a row. Donovan Mitchell led the team in points in that game with 48 while Max Strus was next on the team with 23 points. Donovan Mitchell led the team in assists in that game with 9 while Jarrett Allen led the team in rebounds with 12. They were 43.3% from the field, 28.2% from 3-point range, and 85.7% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 121.9 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 112.4 PPG against them. The Cavaliers have an ATS record of 51-36-1 this season and their O/U record is 56-32.

The Pacers are entering the playoffs with a 50-32 record overall this season and they were 29-11 in their home games where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 4 game winning streak with wins coming against the Milwaukee Bucks twice in a row and the Cleveland Cavaliers twice in a row. Myles Turner and Aaron Nesmith each led the team in points in that game with 23 while Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin each were next on the team with 19 points. Andrew Nembhard led the team in assists in that game with 13 while Tyrese Haliburton led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 51.8% from the field, 39.3% from 3-point range, and 72.4% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 117.4 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 115.1 PPG against them. The Pacers have an ATS record of 41-45-3 this season and their O/U record is 48-39-2.

The current betting odds have the Cavaliers listed as a 1.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. This is game 3 of a 7 game series between the 1st seeded Cavaliers and the 4th seeded Pacers from the Eastern Conference for the 2nd round of the NBA playoffs. The Pacers are leading this series 2-0 after winning game 2 on the road. The Pacers took a 2-0 series lead with a 120-119 win over the Cavaliers in the 2nd game of this series and that was a big win for them. They have swept both road games in this series and are now going back home with a chance to end the series there. They didn't look that great in that win though and never really led in that game until making the game winning shot. Even though the Cavaliers lost that game in the end, they did look like the better team for a majority of the game and looked a lot better than they did in game 1. Now they are going to have the pressure on them here, being down 2-0 on the road in this series, but they are going to bring their best effort in this game to get a win and will throw everything they have at the Pacers. The Pacers have looked great in almost every playoff game they have played in, but they were very fortunate to come from behind and steal that 2nd game too. The Cavaliers are going to be more focused here after the way they lost that last game and they should be getting some key players back for this game too. They have the talent to beat the Pacers as they were in complete control for most of that 2nd game and this is going to be a desperate situation for them so look for them to find a way to get the job done. The best way to place a bet here is on the Cavaliers to cover the spread in this game. 

Cavaliers Pacers Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Friday, May 9, 2025 (7:30 pm ET start time) is Cavaliers 116 Pacers 113.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert basketball picks today.  And if you enjoyed this Cleveland Cavaliers Indiana Pacers prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NBA predictions and previews.

Cleveland Cavaliers: 7-4 ATS off a loss against a division rival. 26-17 ATS revenging a home loss vs opponent. 46-28 ATS versus good offensive teams - scoring 116+ points/game. 27-13 OVER when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 70%). 

Indiana Pacers: 18-25 ATS in a home game where the total is 220 to 229.5. 17-29 ATS after a win by 6 points or less. 15-26 1H ATS after 3 or more consecutive overs. 12-2 OVER off an upset win over a division rival as an underdog.

Cleveland Cavaliers:  D. Hunter (SF) Day To Day - Thumb. E. Mobley (PF) Day To Day - Ankle. D. Garland (PG) Day To Day - Toe.

Indiana Pacers:  I. Jackson (C) Out For Season - Calf.

“I feel like we outplayed them for the majority of the game and then towards the end we had our mental lapses. They capitalized on every single mistake that we made.” - Jarrett Allen after their loss against the Pacers in game 2 of this series on Tuesday.

“Obviously, we got lucky. Ty hit another amazing shot to win the game. You don’t see this very often, let alone twice in one week. Tyrese, he came through again. We’re very fortunate.” - Rick Carlisle after his team’s win against the Cavaliers in game 2 of this series on Tuesday.

PG Ty Jerome

SG Donovan Mitchell

SF Max Strus

PF Evan Mobley

C Jarrett Allen

PG Tyrese Haliburton

SG Andrew Nembhard

SF Aaron Nesmith

PF Pascal Siakam

C Myles Turner

PPG: D. Mitchell (24)

APG: D. Garland (6.7)

Reb/G: J. Allen (9.7)

PPG: P. Siakam (20.2)

APG: T. Haliburton (9.2)

Reb/G: P. Siakam (6.9)

Coaches:

Cleveland Cavaliers: Kenny Atkinson (1st season)

Indiana Pacers: Rick Carlisle (4th season)